Having developed a perfume he sought to market, McConnell founded the California Perfume Company, which would later become Avon Products. He added toiletries and cosmetics to his line and recruited a sales force to sell the products door-to-door. Within 12 years, the sales force had grown to 5,000, and by the 1930s it had ballooned to 30,000. McConnell retained control of Avon as its owner, president, and chairman until his death.